Keep seeking justice for MH17 victims, Ong urges govt

 

MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, when it was shot down by a missile fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels, killing all 298, including 43 Malaysians, onboard. (Reuters pic)

PETALING JAYA: DAP’s Ong Kian Ming has urged the unity government to stay committed to seeking justice for the victims of the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 (MH17).

With the 10th anniversary of the downing of MH17 approaching on July 17, Ong said, Malaysians have somewhat forgotten the tragedy compared to the disappearance of flight MH370, also 10 years ago.

The former deputy international trade and industry minister also said then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had instructed that Putrajaya should not get involved in the matter, after the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) released its findings in 2020.

“I was shocked as there were Malaysian victims (onboard) MH17. Even the foreign ministry issued a statement that was supportive of the findings of the JIT report.

“I thought the almost flippant manner in which the rights of the Malaysian victims of flight MH17 were dismissed was quite callous. Mahathir would later label the decision to prosecute four Russians for the downing of flight MH17 as ‘ridiculous’.

“In the leadup to the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, I call upon the Malaysian government to remain committed to seeking justice for the victims of MH17, including the 43 Malaysians,” he said in a statement.

Ong also urged Putrajaya to pledge to work with the international community, including the Netherlands, to bring those responsible to justice, and to hold a special memorial event for the 10th anniversary on July 17, 2024.

He said this is the least the government can do to remember the incident and those who died.

MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down by a missile fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels amid fighting with Ukrainian troops, killing all 298 aboard.

The suspects all held senior posts in pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine in 2014, according to prosecutors. They said the four men helped to arrange for the Russian BUK missile system used to shoot down MH17.

In November 2022, Dutch judges convicted three of them of murder in absentia and sentenced them to life in prison, while the fourth man was acquitted. - FMT